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How OSO Hotwater optimised manual production with Kyocera TASKalfa Pro 15000c and the Plockmatic BF-450e booklet maker
Customer Profile
OSO Hotwater is a Norwegian manufacturer of high-quality stainless steel water heaters, supplying both domestic and international markets. With over 90 years of innovation and a growing product portfolio, the company manages all technical documentation internally – including the printing of user manuals and installation guides.
Challenge
As their product range expanded and evolved, so did the volume and complexity of their printed documentation. Manuals needed to be regularly updated, produced in small batches, and often translated into up to 23 languages. Previously, they were running a toner-based press from another manufacturer, paired with a standard booklet maker solution. The setup couldn’t keep up, lacked speed, struggled with thicker booklets and forced the team to split single manuals into multiple stapled sections. This often caused delays on the production floor, where operators couldn’t complete packaging because updated manuals weren’t ready.
Manual reprints due to changes also resulted in waste and rising costs. And when jobs required immediate turnaround, external print suppliers simply weren’t fast or flexible enough.
“I spend maybe an hour a day running the system—sometimes even less. It’s basically starting the job, loading paper and picking up the finished prints.”
Stig Røed, Technical Documents Developer, OSO Hotwater
Solution
OSO Hotwater turned to Kyocera’s TASKalfa Pro 15000c production inkjet printer paired with the Plockmatic BF-450e booklet maker.
From day one, the BF-450e’s fast and reliable performance made a clear impact. Its ability to produce high-quality, stapled booklets—up to 50 sheets—meant that most manuals could now be delivered as single, complete documents. This eliminated the confusion and slowdowns caused by handling multiple booklet parts per product.
The ease of use and efficiency also allowed the operator to manage daily printing in under an hour, freeing up time for other responsibilities.
“I spend maybe an hour a day running the system—sometimes even less. It’s basically starting the job, loading paper and picking up the finished prints.”
Results
✅ Increased Uptime
Manuals can now be printed on demand and in exact quantities. This has eliminated the need to pre-stock large volumes, cutting both waste and storage needs.
✅ Reduced Delays in Production
The print team can respond instantly when production lines run short of manuals, avoiding costly downtime or overtime labor.
✅ Improved Document Quality
The BF-450e’s higher booklet thickness capacity ensures complete documentation in one volume—boosting operator efficiency on the floor.
✅ Color Flexibility with Lower Costs
Switching to inkjet gave the team freedom to reintroduce color in technical manuals—especially for complex diagrams—without increasing cost per page.
“With our Plockmatic BF-450e, we can scale and serve future demand—without extra headcount.”
Stig Røed, Technical Documents Developer, OSO Hotwater
Looking Ahead
The company expects steady growth over the next 3–5 years and is already exploring additional lines. Thanks to the BF-450e’s performance and reliability, they’re confident their in-house print operation can scale to meet future demand.
